The Electric Power Company of Montenegro (EPCG) has withdrawn the request for an environmental permit for the Komarnica hydroelectric power plant project, which means that the procedure has been temporarily stopped, but not that the project has been rejected, the "Save Komarnica" Initiative announced.
"The Save Komarnica Initiative has so far consciously refrained from commenting on numerous media speculations and political spin, acting responsibly and waiting for official information from the competent institutions. Now, when this information has finally been confirmed, we have an obligation to make a public statement. The Electric Power Company of Montenegro (EPCG) has withdrawn the request for an environmental permit for the Komarnica hydroelectric power plant project. This means that the procedure has been temporarily stopped - but not that the project has been rejected. The Komarnica HPP still exists as a real threat - now without an environmental permit, but also without a formal rejection," reads a statement from the "Save Komarnica" Initiative, which was provided to the media by the Montenegrin Society of Ecologists (CDE).
They said that the director of the Environmental Protection Agency, Milan Gazdić, made a decision to "just suspend the procedure, obviously in favor of the investor", instead of "continuing the administrative procedure and refusing to issue an environmental permit for the Komarnica HPP, in accordance with the law and the recommendations of the expert commission".
"In this way, institutional responsibility was avoided and the door was left open for a new attempt to realize the project - especially through the announced changes to the law that would allow for the bypassing or drastic shortening of the permit issuance procedure," they believe.
They say it is a "missed opportunity" to have the project legally and formally rejected.
"By failing to make a final decision, the Agency's management has allowed EPCG to continue with planning, with serious indications of abuse of rights and possible criminal liability. This solution, in our opinion, is legally unfounded and represents buying time. This is a serious example of abuse of law and an attempt to avoid imperative norms. The Environmental Protection Agency should serve the interests of the state and citizens, however, it seems that narrow-party interests and the interests of other states prevail," they claim in the statement.
The withdrawal of the request is, as they said, just a tactical withdrawal – an attempt to wait for a more favorable moment and changes to the law, "and it is not a sign of a change of course towards a sustainable and innovative energy policy, but a continuation of the wrong path."
"Our fight has been going on for years - with scientifically based and legally irrefutable arguments that we submitted during public hearings. This is precisely why EPCG, despite years of attempts to amend the Elaborate, failed to meet the legal requirements. That is why it ultimately withdrew the request," they add.
They said this practice was "a continuation of political fraud":
"The government headed by Dritan Abazović, the president of the environmentally profiled political party URA, signed the Agreement enabling the construction of the Komarnica HPP, although today in their speeches they claim that they were against this project. The new government, led by Milojko Spajić, Mujović and other ministers, continued on the same path, although they publicly promised not to repeat the mistakes of their predecessors and to stand up for the protection of the interests of citizens and nature. There are no two policies - there is a continuity of ignoring the law, science, profession, citizens and nature, for the sake of the interests of privileged groups."
They remind that a protest camp will be held on Komarnica from June 6 to 8, "where we will talk about our fight for the rivers and announce the next steps aimed at preserving and sustainably using Komarnica."
"We remain vigilant and determined. We will not allow harmful, outdated and non-transparent projects to be revived through backstage negotiations and adjusted laws. Komarnica remains a line of defense – not only of nature, but also of the rule of law," the "Let's Write Off Komarnica" Initiative says.
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